Seven CES 2015 products that will impact business

Lenovo's ThinkPad Stack

Lenovo rolled out a new line of ThinkPads that were updated
with the latest Intel processors. Along with those updates came the ThinkPad
Stack, a set of four modules that sit on top of each other and share a power
stack. The modules---one for a Bluetooth speaker, a power bank, access point
for 4G phone connection sharing and a 1 TB hard drive---connect wirelessly to
ThinkPads. The ThinkPad Stack's business use cases are a bit fuzzy, but you
could see a team sharing it at a conference or off-site meeting. Going forward
it'll be interesting to see how the ThinkPad Stack sells.

Intel RealSense

CES 2015 was the coming out party for RealSense, Intel's
gesture and voice control system. CNET referred to RealSense as Intel's play to make the Minority Report more of a reality. RealSense will be embedded in a
bevy of computing devices in the months to come, but perhaps the most
interesting uses revolved around collaboration. An iRobot demo of Ava, a
telepresence robot created in partnership with Cisco, highlighted how RealSense
would work in the enterprise.

Intel Curie

Intel also highlighted Curie, a button sized computer
designed for wearables. Intel is open sourcing Curie and trying to rally
developers. Wearables have been a consumer development, but there are business implications for everything from marketing to big data to enterprise
applications. As wearables become more powerful, the business cases swell.

HP's Zvr virtual reality system

The HP Zvr is billed as a step toward "true holographic viewing" and a test drive of the display was notable because it allowed
you to manipulate content, dissect frogs, inspect the inner workings of the
heart and play with architecture options. Obvious verticals would include
education, engineering and training. What's unclear is whether HP and partner
zSpace can build an ecosystem of applications.

Dell XPS 13

Dell rolled out a lineup of new laptops targeting everything
from business to consumers to gaming. The Dell XPS 13 packs a 13-inch screen
into a smaller body that would be more suited to a 12-inch screen. Dell pulled
off its feat by making the bezel around the screen almost invisible. The
MacBook Air will be revamped with a similar approach, according to reports. The
overall theme for road warriors is that they'll have more screen in a smaller
and lighter shell.

Panasonic Smart Mirror

Panasonic showed off its Smart Mirror, which looks like
it'll be a cross-selling staple for retailers and other consumer focused
enterprises. Availability and pricing were unavailable, but Panasonic and
others are likely to join a crowded field in the future.

3D printing advances

Makerbot rolled out a new system that will enable more
composite materials to be used to make things like hammers and wood products. 3D Systems bought botObjects. And HP said that its 3D printers would be powered
by Intel. The underlying theme of CES was that 3D printing would go mainstream.
You can bet that 3D printing will have a much larger impact on the enterprise
and SMBs, which will benefit the most from the developments at CES 2015.

CES is best known as a consumer electronics showcase, but there's an increasing focus on products that can have an impact on the enterprise. Here's a look at CES product launches that could have business impact.

Read MoreRead Less

Intel RealSense

CES 2015 was the coming out party for RealSense, Intel's
gesture and voice control system. CNET referred to RealSense as Intel's play to make the Minority Report more of a reality. RealSense will be embedded in a
bevy of computing devices in the months to come, but perhaps the most
interesting uses revolved around collaboration. An iRobot demo of Ava, a
telepresence robot created in partnership with Cisco, highlighted how RealSense
would work in the enterprise.